Power supply unit for aerosol inhaler

ABSTRACT

A power supply unit for an aerosol inhaler includes: a power supply capable of supplying power to a load capable of generating aerosol from an aerosol source; and a charger capable of controlling charging of the power supply, in which the power supply unit further includes: a power reception coil capable of receiving the power in a wireless manner, a converter configured to convert AC power into DC power, an AC conductive wire connecting the power reception coil and the converter, and a DC conductive wire connecting the converter and the charger and having a length equal to or greater than a length of the AC conductive wire.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/088,581, filed Nov. 4, 2020, which claims priority to Japanese PatentApplication No. 2019-201066 filed on Nov. 5, 2019, each of which ishereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a power supply unit for an aerosolinhaler.

BACKGROUND ART

An aerosol inhaler capable of wireless charging and a power supply unitfor the aerosol inhaler are known (U.S. Pat. No. 9,901,117 B, US2015/0333561 A, JP 5767342 B, JP 6326188 B, JP 2018-126355 A, and JP2019-510469 T). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,901,117 B discloses a largenumber of arrangement examples of power reception coils such asarranging a power reception coil capable of receiving power in awireless manner at a lower portion of a housing, arranging a powerreception coil so as to surround a rechargeable power supply, arranginga plurality of power reception coils, and arranging a power receptioncoil in a curved shape.

US 2015/0333561 A discloses a portable charging device in which a powertransmission coil is arranged, and an aerosol inhaler including a weightfor aligning the power transmission coil and a power reception coil.

In an aerosol inhaler capable of wireless charging and a power supplyunit for the aerosol inhaler, heat may be generated due to a skin effectin an AC conductive wire through which an alternating current receivedin a wireless manner flows, which may affect circuit elements.Therefore, prevention of the heat generation in the AC conductive wireis desired. Here, the skin effect refers to a phenomenon in which, whena high frequency wave is applied to a conductor, an apparent resistancevalue is increased due to a biased current on a conductor surface.

An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply unit foran aerosol inhaler capable of preventing heat generation in an ACconductive wire due to a skin effect.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, a power supply unit foran aerosol inhaler includes: a power supply capable of supplying powerto a load capable of generating aerosol from an aerosol source; and acharger capable of controlling charging of the power supply, in whichthe power supply unit further includes: a power reception coil capableof receiving the power in a wireless manner, a converter configured toconvert AC power into DC power, an AC conductive wire connecting thepower reception coil and the converter, and a DC conductive wireconnecting the converter and the charger and having a length equal to orgreater than a length of the AC conductive wire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol inhaler equipped with a powersupply unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the power supply unit of the aerosolinhaler shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the aerosol inhaler shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main part configuration of the powersupply unit of the aerosol inhaler shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a circuit configuration of thepower supply unit of the aerosol inhaler shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of wirelesscharging of the power supply unit of the aerosol inhaler shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an aerosol inhaler according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of wirelesscharging of a power supply unit of the aerosol inhaler shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an aerosol inhaler according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of wirelesscharging of a power supply unit of the aerosol inhaler shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a circuit configuration of apower supply unit of an aerosol inhaler according to a fourth embodimentof the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a power supply unit for an aerosol inhaler and the aerosolinhaler according to each embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed.

(Aerosol Inhaler)

An aerosol inhaler 1 is a device for inhaling a flavor withoutcombustion, and has a rod shape extending along a predetermineddirection (hereinafter referred to as a longitudinal direction A). Asshown in FIG. 1, the aerosol inhaler 1 is provided with a power supplyunit 10, a first cartridge 20 and a second cartridge 30 in this orderalong the longitudinal direction A. The first cartridge 20 is attachableto and detachable from the power supply unit 10, and the secondcartridge 30 is attachable to and detachable from the first cartridge20. In other words, the first cartridge 20 and the second cartridge 30are replaceable.

First Embodiment

(Power Supply Unit)

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the power supply unit 10 according to a firstembodiment accommodates a power supply 12, a charger 13, a control unit50, various sensors and the like inside a cylindrical power supply unitcase 11.

Discharge terminals 41 are provided on a top portion 11 a located on oneend side (a first cartridge 20 side) of the power supply unit case 11 inthe longitudinal direction A. The discharge terminals 41 are provided soas to protrude from an upper surface of the top portion 11 a toward thefirst cartridge 20, and are configured to be electrically connectable toa load 21 of the first cartridge 20.

An air supply portion 42 that supplies air to the load 21 of the firstcartridge 20 is provided on the upper surface of the top portion 11 a invicinity of the discharge terminals 41.

A power reception coil 43 for charging the power supply 12 in a wirelessmanner with an external power supply (not shown) and a rectifier 44 thatconverts AC power received by the power reception coil 43 into DC powerare accommodated in a bottom portion 11 b located on the other end side(a side opposite to the first cartridge 20) of the power supply unitcase 11 in the longitudinal direction A. A method of wireless powertransfer may be an electromagnetic induction method, a magneticresonance method, a combination of the electromagnetic induction methodand the magnetic resonance method, or other methods. In any method ofwireless power transfer, the power supply unit case 11 may or may not bein physical contact with the external power supply. In the presentspecification, the wireless power transfer is treated as beingsynonymous with non-contact power transfer.

A user-operable operation unit 14 is provided on a side surface of thetop portion 11 a of the power supply unit case 11. The operation unit 14includes a button type switch, a touch panel and the like, and is usedwhen the control unit 50 and various sensors are activated or shut off,which reflects intention of a user.

The power supply 12 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and ispreferably a lithium ion secondary battery. The charger 13 controlscharging power input from the rectifier 44 to the power supply 12. Thecharger 13 is configured by using a charging IC including a DC-DCconverter, a voltmeter, an ammeter, a processor and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 50 is connected to the charger 13,the operation unit 14, various sensor devices such as an intake sensor15 that detects a puff (intake) operation, a voltage sensor 16 thatmeasures a voltage of the power supply 12, a temperature sensor 17 thatdetects a temperature, and a memory 18 that stores the number of puffoperations or time for energizing the load 21. The control unit 50performs various controls on the aerosol inhaler 1. The intake sensor 15may be constituted by a condenser microphone, a pressure sensor or thelike. Specifically, the control unit 50 is a processor (MCU: microcontroller unit). More specifically, a structure of the processor is anelectric circuit obtained by combining circuit elements such assemiconductor elements.

(First Cartridge)

As shown in FIG. 3, the first cartridge 20 includes, inside acylindrical cartridge case 27, a reservoir 23 that stores an aerosolsource 22, the electric load 21 that atomizes the aerosol source 22, awick 24 that draws the aerosol source from the reservoir 23 to the load21, an aerosol flow path 25 in which aerosol generated by atomization ofthe aerosol source 22 flows toward the second cartridge 30, and an endcap 26 that accommodates a part of the second cartridge 30.

The reservoir 23 is partitioned and formed so as to surround a peripheryof the aerosol flow path 25, and stores the aerosol source 22. A porousbody such as a resin web or cotton may be accommodated in the reservoir23, and the aerosol source 22 may be impregnated in the porous body. Thereservoir 23 may only store the aerosol source 22 without accommodatingthe porous body such as the resin web or the cotton. The aerosol source22 includes a liquid such as glycerin, propylene glycol or water.

The wick 24 is a liquid holding member that draws the aerosol source 22from the reservoir 23 to the load 21 by using a capillary phenomenon,and is formed of, for example, glass fiber or porous ceramic.

The load 21 atomizes the aerosol source 22 without combustion with thepower supplied from the power supply 12 via the discharge terminals 41.The load 21 is formed of an electric heating wire (coil) wound at apredetermined pitch. The load 21 may be any element capable ofgenerating the aerosol by atomizing the aerosol source 22, and is, forexample, a heating element or an ultrasonic generator. Examples of theheating element include a heating resistor, a ceramic heater and aninduction heating type heater.

The aerosol flow path 25 is provided on a downstream side of the load 21and on a center line L of the power supply unit 10.

The end cap 26 includes a cartridge accommodation portion 26 a thataccommodates a part of the second cartridge 30, and a communication path26 b that allows the aerosol flow path 25 and the cartridgeaccommodation portion 26 a to communicate with each other.

(Second Cartridge)

The second cartridge 30 stores a flavor source 31. The second cartridge30 is detachably accommodated in the cartridge accommodation portion 26a provided in the end cap 26 of the first cartridge 20. An end portionof the second cartridge 30 on a side opposite to the first cartridge 20is a suction port 32 for the user. The suction port 32 is not limited tobeing integrally formed with the second cartridge 30, but may beconfigured to be attachable to and detachable from the second cartridge30. By configuring the suction port 32 separately from the power supplyunit 10 and the first cartridge 20 in this way, the suction port 32 canbe kept hygienic.

The second cartridge 30 imparts the flavor to the aerosol by passing theaerosol generated by atomizing the aerosol source 22 by the load 21through the flavor source 31.

As a raw material piece constituting the flavor source 31, choppedtobacco or a molded product obtained by molding a tobacco raw materialinto particles can be used. The flavor source 31 may be formed of aplant other than tobacco (for example, mint, Chinese herb or herb). Theflavor source 31 may be provided with a fragrance such as menthol.

In the aerosol inhaler 1 according to the present embodiment, theaerosol to which the flavor is added can be generated by the aerosolsource 22, the flavor source 31 and the load 21. That is, the aerosolsource 22 and the flavor source 31 can be referred to as an aerosolgeneration source that generates the aerosol.

In addition to a configuration in which the aerosol source 22 and theflavor source 31 are separated from each other, a configuration in whichthe aerosol source 22 and the flavor source 31 are integrally formed, aconfiguration in which the flavor source 31 is omitted and substancesthat may be included in the flavor source 31 are added to the aerosolsource 22, or a configuration in which a drug, a Chinese herb or thelike instead of the flavor source 31 is added to the aerosol source 22may also be employed as the configuration of the aerosol generationsource used in the aerosol inhaler 1.

In the aerosol inhaler 1 configured as described above, as shown by anarrow B in FIG. 3, the air flowing in from an air intake port (notshown) provided in the power supply unit case 11 passes through vicinityof the load 21 of the first cartridge 20 from the air supply portion 42.The load 21 atomizes the aerosol source 22 drawn or moved from thereservoir 23 by the wick 24. The aerosol generated by atomization flowsthrough the aerosol flow path 25 together with the air flowing in fromthe air intake port, and is supplied to the second cartridge 30 via thecommunication path 26 b. The aerosol supplied to the second cartridge 30is imparted the flavor by passing through the flavor source 31, and issupplied to the suction port 32.

The aerosol inhaler 1 is provided with a notification unit 45 thatnotifies various types of information. The notification unit 45 may beconstituted by a light emitting element, a vibration element or a soundoutput element. The notification unit 45 may also be a combination oftwo or more elements among the light emitting element, the vibrationelement and the sound output element. The notification unit 45 may beprovided in any of the power supply unit 10, the first cartridge 20 andthe second cartridge 30, but is preferably provided in the power supplyunit 10 in order to shorten a conductive wire from the power supply 12.For example, a periphery of the operation unit 14 is translucent, and isconfigured to emit light by a light emitting element such as an LED.

(Electric Circuit)

Next, an electric circuit of the power supply unit 10 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 5.

The power supply unit 10 includes the power supply 12, a positiveelectrode side discharge terminal 41 a and a negative electrode sidedischarge terminal 41 b constituting the discharge terminals 41, thecontrol unit 50 connected between a positive electrode side of the powersupply 12 and the positive electrode side discharge terminal 41 a andbetween a negative electrode side of the power supply 12 and thenegative electrode side discharge terminal 41 b, a wireless chargingcircuit 46 including the power reception coil 43 and the rectifier 44,the charger 13 arranged on a power transmission path between thewireless charging circuit 46 and the power supply 12, and a switch 19arranged on the power transmission path between the power supply 12 andthe discharge terminals 41. The switch 19 is formed of, for example, aMOSFET, and is controlled to be opened and closed by the control unit 50adjusting a gate voltage.

(Control Unit)

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 50 includes an aerosol generationrequest detection unit 51, a power control unit 53 and a notificationcontrol unit 54.

The aerosol generation request detection unit 51 detects an aerosolgeneration request based on an output result of the intake sensor 15.The intake sensor 15 is configured to output a value of a change inpressure in the power supply unit 10 caused by suction of the userthrough the suction port 32. The intake sensor 15 is, for example, apressure sensor that outputs an output value (for example, a voltagevalue or a current value) corresponding to an air pressure that changesdue to a flow rate of the air sucked from the air intake port toward thesuction port 32 (that is, the puff operation of the user). The intakesensor may be configured to determine whether the detected flow rate orpressure of the air can correspond to the puff operation of the user andoutput one of an ON value and an OFF value.

The notification control unit 54 controls the notification unit 45 tonotify various types of information. For example, the notificationcontrol unit 54 controls the notification unit 45 to notify areplacement timing of the second cartridge 30 according to detection ofthe replacement timing of the second cartridge 30. The notificationcontrol unit 54 notifies the replacement timing of the second cartridge30 based on the number of the puff operations or the cumulative time forenergizing the load 21 stored in the memory 18. The notification controlunit 54 may notify not only the replacement timing of the secondcartridge 30, but also a replacement timing of the first cartridge 20, areplacement timing of the power supply 12, a charging timing of thepower supply 12 and the like.

When the aerosol generation request detection unit 51 detects theaerosol generation request, the power control unit 53 controls dischargeof the power supply 12 via the discharge terminals 41 by turning on orturning off the switch 19.

The power control unit 53 performs control such that an amount of theaerosol generated by atomizing the aerosol source by the load 21 fallswithin a desired range, in other words, an amount of the power suppliedfrom the power supply 12 to the load 21 falls within a certain range.Specifically, the power control unit 53 controls on/off of the switch 19by, for example, pulse width modulation (PWM) control. Instead of this,the power control unit 53 may control the on/off of the switch 19 bypulse frequency modulation (PFM) control.

The power control unit 53 may stop power supply from the power supply 12to the load 21 when a predetermined period has elapsed since the powersupply to the load 21 is started. In other words, the power control unit53 stops the power supply from the power supply 12 to the load 21 when apuff period exceeds the predetermined period even within the puff periodwhen the user actually performs the puff operation. The predeterminedperiod is set in order to reduce variations in the puff period of theuser. The power control unit 53 controls a duty ratio of the on/off ofthe switch 19 during one puff operation according to an amount ofelectricity stored in the power supply 12. For example, the powercontrol unit 53 controls an on-time interval (a pulse interval) forsupplying power from the power supply 12 to the load 21, and controls anon-time length (a pulse width) for supplying power from the power supply12 to the load 21.

The power control unit 53 detects power reception from the externalpower supply by the power reception coil 43, and controls charging ofthe power supply 12 via the charger 13.

(Wireless Charging Circuit)

As shown in FIG. 5, the wireless charging circuit 46 includes the powerreception coil 43, the rectifier 44, a smoothing capacitor 47, an ACconductive wire 48 and a DC conductive wire 49.

During charging, the power reception coil 43 is arranged close to apower transmission coil 61 that is excited by the AC power from theexternal power supply in the wireless manner, and receives the AC powerfrom the power transmission coil 61 in the wireless manner. For example,as shown in FIG. 6, in the power supply unit 10 according to the presentembodiment, when the power supply unit case 11 is placed vertically,with the bottom portion 11 b thereof facing downward, above a chargingmat 62 in which the power transmission coil 61 is installed, the powerreception coil 43 comes close to the power transmission coil 61 of thecharging mat 62 in the wireless manner, and the power can be receivedfrom the power transmission coil 61. “Vertically” means that thelongitudinal direction is placed in a substantially vertical direction.

The rectifier 44 converts the AC power received by the power receptioncoil 43 into the DC power. The DC power converted by the rectifier 44 issmoothed by the smoothing capacitor 47. The rectifier 44 according tothe present embodiment is a full-wave rectifier circuit in which fourdiodes D1 to D4 are bridge-connected, and may be a half-wave rectifiercircuit. To describe the rectifier 44 according to the presentembodiment more specifically, an anode of the diode D1 and a cathode ofthe diode D2 are connected to the AC conductive wire 48 extending fromone end of the power reception coil 43 at a first connection point P1,and an anode of the diode D3 and a cathode of the diode D4 are connectedto the AC conductive wire 48 extending from the other end of the powerreception coil 43 at a second connection point P2. Cathodes of thediodes D1 and D3 are connected to the positive electrode side DCconductive wire 49 at a third connection point P3, and anodes of thediodes D2 and D4 are connected to the negative electrode side DCconductive wire 49 at a fourth connection point P4.

The AC conductive wire 48 connects the power reception coil 43 and therectifier 44, and supplies the AC power received by the power receptioncoil 43 to the rectifier 44. Since the AC power flows through the ACconductive wire 48, heat may be generated due to a skin effect.

The DC conductive wire 49 connects the rectifier 44 and the charger 13,and supplies the DC power converted by the rectifier 44 to the charger13. Unlike the AC conductive wire 48, the DC conductive wire 49 does notgenerate heat due to the skin effect.

Here, a length of the DC conductive wire 49 is equal to or greater thana length of the AC conductive wire 48. The DC conductive wire 49 ispreferably not the same length as the AC conductive wire 48 but longerthan the AC conductive wire 48. In this way, since the AC conductivewire 48 can be shortened, heat generation in the AC conductive wire 48due to the skin effect and influence of the heat generation in the ACconductive wire 48 on circuit elements can be prevented. In particular,a decrease in power transmission efficiency due to increase intemperature of the power reception coil 43 caused by the heat generationin the AC conductive wire 48 when the magnetic resonance method is usedcan be prevented. The circuit elements include, in addition to therectifier 44, the charger 13 and circuit elements included in thecontrol unit 50, capacitors and resistors provided on a board (notshown) on which these are mounted.

The AC conductive wire 48 is preferably a Litz wire formed by twisting aplurality of conductive wires (for example, enameled wires). In thisway, since cross-sectional area of each conductive wire is reduced, theskin effect of the AC conductive wire 48 can be effectively prevented.Accordingly, the heat generation in the AC conductive wire 48 due to theskin effect and the influence of the heat generation in the ACconductive wire 48 on the circuit elements can be further prevented.Similarly, the decrease in power transmission efficiency in the magneticresonance method can be prevented.

(Arrangement Configuration)

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the power supply unit case 11, the powerreception coil 43 and the rectifier 44 are arranged in the bottomportion 11 b, and the charger 13 is arranged on a side opposite to thepower reception coil 43 and the rectifier 44 with respect to the powersupply 12. The power reception coil 43 is arranged below the powersupply 12 in the vertical direction during charging to be capable ofreceiving the power while the power supply unit case 11 is placedvertically, and when the charging is performed by using the charging mat62, a distance between the power reception coil 43 and the powertransmission coil 61 is shortened, so that the power transmissionefficiency is improved. Further, since the charger 13 is arranged on aside opposite to the power reception coil 43 with the power supply 12interposed therebetween, influence of a leakage magnetic field of thepower reception coil 43 on the charger 13 can be prevented.

The power reception coil 43 and the rectifier 44 may be arranged on oneof one end side and the other end side of the power supply 12 in thelongitudinal direction A. In second and third embodiments describedbelow, the power reception coil 43 and the rectifier 44 are arrangedabove the power supply 12 in the vertical direction while the powersupply unit case 11 is placed vertically. Since the power reception coil43 and the rectifier 44 are arranged on one of one end side and theother end side of the power supply 12, the AC conductive wire 48connecting the power reception coil 43 and the rectifier 44 does notneed to cross or traverse the power supply 12 that is the largest amongcomponents of the aerosol inhaler 1, so that the AC conductive wire 48is shortened and the skin effect is reduced.

The power reception coil 43 and the rectifier 44 may be arranged oneither one of one end side and the other end side of the power supply 12in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction A. Although theelongated cylindrical power supply unit 10 is illustrated in the presentembodiment, the power supply unit case 11 of the power supply unit 10may be a rectangular columnar body having rectangular upper and lowersurfaces, or an elliptical columnar body having elliptical upper andlower surfaces, or may have an oval shape as a whole. In this case, ifthe charger 13 is arranged on the side opposite to the power receptioncoil 43 with the power supply 12 interposed therebetween in thedirection orthogonal to the longitudinal direction A, the influence ofthe leakage magnetic field of the power reception coil 43 on the charger13 can be prevented more appropriately.

(Magnetic Shield)

As shown in FIG. 3, a shield 81 that protects the circuit elements fromthe leakage magnetic field of the power reception coil 43 is provided inthe power supply unit case 11 that accommodates the power reception coil43. The shield 81 is formed of ferrite, a soft magnetic material or thelike, and can shield or reduce the leakage magnetic field by absorbingleakage magnetic flux.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, when the power reception coil 43 is arrangedalong a bottom surface of the power supply unit case 11 to be capable ofreceiving the power while the power supply unit case 11 is placedvertically, the shield 81 is preferably arranged so as to cover at leastan upper surface of the power reception coil 43. In this way, since theshield 81 that covers the upper surface of the power reception coil 43is used, the leakage magnetic field can be effectively shielded withoutusing a large shield member. A recess may be formed on a lower surfaceof the shield 81, and the power reception coil 43 may be arranged in therecess. In this way, shielding capacity of the leakage magnetic fieldcan be significantly improved.

Since power supply unit case 11 accommodates the power reception coil43, the shield 81, the rectifier 44 and the power supply 12 in orderfrom below in the vertical direction during charging while being placedvertically above the charging mat 62, three problems of effectivelyshielding the leakage magnetic field, protecting the rectifier 44 fromthe leakage magnetic field and reducing the skin effect can besimultaneously solved.

Next, second to fourth embodiments of the power supply unit 10 will besequentially described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11. Note thatdescription of the first embodiment is incorporated by denoting the sameconfigurations as those of the first embodiment with the same referencenumerals as in the first embodiment.

Second Embodiment

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the power supply unit 10 according to thesecond embodiment is different from the power supply unit 10 accordingto the first embodiment in that the power reception coil 43, the shield81, the rectifier 44 and the charger 13 are arranged above the powersupply 12 in the vertical direction in the power supply unit case 11when the power supply unit 10 is charged while being placed vertically.In this way, since the power supply 12 having a large weight ispositioned below the power reception coil 43, the shield 81, therectifier 44 and the charger 13 in the vertical direction when the powersupply 12 is charged, a center of gravity is lowered, and stabilityduring placement can be improved. When the power supply unit 10according to the second embodiment is charged, a charging stand (notshown) including the power transmission coil 61 through which the powersupply unit case 11 can penetrate is used. The charging mat 62 in thefirst embodiment may be used instead of the charging stand. When thecharging mat 62 is used in the present embodiment, power transfer ispreferably performed by the magnetic resonance method.

Third Embodiment

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the power supply unit 10 according to thethird embodiment is different from the power supply unit 10 according tofirst and second embodiments in that the power reception coil 43 isconfigured to be capable of receiving power in a wireless manner whenthe power supply unit case 11 is placed horizontally. Specifically, thepower reception coil 43 is arranged in the power supply unit case 11such that the power reception coil 43 is close to the power transmissioncoil 61 only within a predetermined angular range in which the powersupply unit case 11 is placed horizontally and rotated in a rollingdirection so that the power can be received. “Horizontally” means thatthe longitudinal direction is placed in a substantially horizontaldirection. In this case, the power supply unit case 11 is preferablyprovided with a position regulation portion such that the power supplyunit 10 can be maintained within the predetermined angular range inwhich the power can be received.

The power supply unit 10 according to the third embodiment also includesthe shield 81. The shield 81 is configured to protect circuit elementsfrom a magnetic field (a magnetic field from the power transmission coil61 and a leakage magnetic field of the power reception coil 43 in astate where the power supply unit case 11 is placed horizontally suchthat power reception efficiency of the power reception coil 43 ismaximized, and at a specific angle at which the power supply unit case11 is rotated in the rolling direction from the state. Specifically, theshield 81 is arranged so as to cover a back surface side of the powerreception coil 43, or the shield 81 is arranged so as to surround thecircuit elements. In this way, the circuit elements can be protectedfrom the magnetic field without using an excessive shield member, andthe power supply unit 10 can be reduced in size and weight.

The shield 81 may be configured to protect the circuit elements from themagnetic field in the state where the power supply unit case 11 isplaced horizontally such that the power reception efficiency of thepower reception coil 43 is maximized, and at any angle at which thepower supply unit case 11 is rotated in the rolling direction from thestate. For example, a portion other than the power reception coil 43 maybe covered with a flexible shield member, a portion other than the powerreception coil 43 may be surrounded by a tubular shield member, or aregion other than a region where the power reception coil 43 of thepower supply unit case 11 is arranged is formed of a metal that does nottransmit magnetic flux.

Fourth Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 11, the power supply unit 10 according to the fourthembodiment is different from that according to the first embodiment inthat an inverter 70 is provided as a converter instead of the rectifier44. The inverter 70 converts AC power received by the power receptioncoil 43 into DC power. The inverter 70 according to the presentembodiment is formed by bridge-connecting four switching elements 71.The switching element 71 is, for example, a transistor such as aninsulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) or a metal oxide semi-conductorfield effect transistor (MOSFET), and opening and closing control isperformed by the control unit 50 adjusting a gate voltage.

To describe the inverter 70 according to the present embodiment morespecifically, an emitter of a transistor T1 and a collector of atransistor T2 are connected to the AC conductive wire 48 extending fromone end of the power reception coil 43 at the first connection point P1,and an emitter of a transistor T3 and a collector of a transistor T4 areconnected to the AC conductive wire 48 extending from the other end ofthe power reception coil 43 at the second connection point P2.Collectors of the transistor T1 and the transistor T3 are connected tothe positive electrode side DC conductive wire 49 at the thirdconnection point P3, and emitters of the transistor T2 and thetransistor T4 are connected to the negative electrode side DC conductivewire 49 at the fourth connection point P4. Each of the diodes D1 to D4connected in a forward direction from the emitter to the collector isprovided between the collector and the emitter of each of transistors T1to T4. Since the inverter 70 is used instead of the rectifier 44, thepower reception coil 43 can be used as a power transmission coil.

That is, the power reception coil 43 can be excited by power of thepower supply 12 while a power reception coil of the other device isbrought close to the power reception coil 43, and the power can betransmitted to the power reception coil of the other device. At thistime, the inverter 70 converts DC power supplied from the power supply12 into AC power by repeating a state where the transistors T1, T4 areturned on and the transistors T2, T3 are turned off and a state wherethe transistors T1, T4 are turned off and the transistors T2, T3 areturned on. When the inverter 70 converts the AC power received by thepower reception coil 43 into the DC power, all the transistors T1 to T4are controlled to be turned off.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and canbe appropriately modified, improved and the like.

The present specification describes at least the following matters.Although corresponding constituent elements or the like in the aboveembodiments are illustrated in parentheses, the present invention is notlimited thereto.

(1) A power supply unit (power supply unit 10) for an aerosol inhaler(aerosol inhaler 1) including: a power supply (power supply 12) capableof supplying power to a load (load 21) capable of generating aerosolfrom an aerosol source; and a charger (charger 13) capable ofcontrolling charging of the power supply, in which the power supply unitfurther includes: a power reception coil (power reception coil 43)capable of receiving the power in a wireless manner, a converter(rectifier 44, inverter 70) configured to convert AC power into DCpower, an AC conductive wire (AC conductive wire 48) connecting thepower reception coil and the converter, and a DC conductive wire (DCconductive wire 49) connecting the converter and the charger and havinga length equal to or greater than a length of the AC conductive wire.

According to (1), since the length of the DC conductive wire connectingthe converter and the charger is set to be equal to or greater than thelength of the AC conductive wire connecting the power reception coil andthe converter, heat generation due to a skin effect caused by analternating current received in the wireless manner flowing through theAC conductive wire can be prevented.

(2) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (1), inwhich the DC conductive wire is longer than the AC conductive wire.

According to (2), since the length of the DC conductive wire connectingthe converter and the charger is longer than the AC conductive wireconnecting the power reception coil and the converter, the heatgeneration in the AC conductive wire can be more effectively prevented.

(3) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (1) or(2), further including: a housing (power supply unit case 11)accommodating the power supply, the power reception coil and theconverter, in which the power reception coil and the converter arearranged on one of one end side and the other end side of the powersupply.

According to (3), since the AC conductive wire connecting the powerreception coil and the converter does not need to cross or traverse thepower supply that is the largest among components of the aerosolinhaler, the AC conductive wire is shortened and the skin effect isreduced.

(4) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (3), inwhich the housing further accommodates the charger, and in which thepower reception coil, the converter and the charger are arranged abovethe power supply in a vertical direction when the power supply ischarged.

According to (4), since the power supply having a large weight ispositioned below the power reception coil, the converter and the chargerin the vertical direction when the power supply is charged, a center ofgravity is lowered and stability during placement is improved. Inparticular, since a liquid is present in the housing in the aerosolinhaler, the stability during placement is important.

(5) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (3), inwhich the housing further accommodates the charger, in which the chargeris arranged above the power supply in a vertical direction when thepower supply is charged, and in which the power reception coil and theconverter are arranged below the power supply in the vertical directionwhen the power supply is charged.

According to (5), since the power reception coil is arranged below thepower supply in the vertical direction when the power supply is charged,when a charging mat is used, a distance between the power reception coiland a power transmission coil is shortened, so that power transmissionefficiency is improved. Further, since the charger is arranged on a sideopposite to the power reception coil with the power supply interposedtherebetween, influence of the leakage magnetic field on a circuit boardon which the charger is mounted can be prevented.

(6) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to any oneof (1) to (5), further including: a housing (power supply unit case 11)configured to accommodate the power reception coil, in which a circuitelement, a shield (shield 81) capable of protecting the circuit elementfrom a magnetic field, or shielding or reducing a leakage magnetic fieldin the power reception coil are provided in the housing.

According to (6), the shield can protect the circuit element from themagnetic field or the leakage magnetic field of the power receptioncoil.

(7) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (6), inwhich the power reception coil is configured to be capable of receivingthe power in the wireless manner when the housing is placed vertically,and in which the shield covers at least a part of the power receptioncoil.

According to (7), since the shield that covers the power reception coilis used, the leakage magnetic field can be effectively shielded withoutusing a large shield.

(8) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (6), inwhich the power reception coil is configured to be capable of receivingthe power in the wireless manner when the housing is placed vertically,and in which the housing accommodates the power reception coil, theshield, the converter and the power supply in order from below in thevertical direction when the power supply is charged.

According to (8), since the power reception coil, the shield, theconverter and the power supply are arranged in order from below in thevertical direction in the housing when the power supply is charged,three problems of effectively shielding the leakage magnetic field,protecting the converter from the leakage magnetic field and reducingthe skin effect can be simultaneously solved.

(9) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (8), inwhich the power reception coil is configured to be capable of receivingthe power in the wireless manner when the housing is placedhorizontally, and in which the shield is configured to protect thecircuit element from the magnetic field or to shield or reduce theleakage magnetic field in the power reception coil in a state where thehousing is placed horizontally such that power reception efficiency ofthe power reception coil is maximized, and at a specific angle at whichthe housing is rotated in a rolling direction from the state.

According to (9), since the shield is used in the state where thehousing is placed horizontally and at the specific angle at which thehousing is rotated in the rolling direction from the stat, the circuitelement can be protected from the leakage magnetic field without usingan excessive shield and the power supply unit can be reduced in size andweight.

(10) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (6), inwhich the power reception coil is configured to be capable of receivingthe power in the wireless manner when the housing is placedhorizontally, and in which the shield is configured to protect thecircuit element from the magnetic field or to shield or reduce theleakage magnetic field in the power reception coil in a state where thehousing is placed horizontally such that power reception efficiency ofthe power reception coil is maximized, and at any angle at which thehousing is rotated in a rolling direction from the state.

According to (10), since the shield is used in the state where thehousing is placed horizontally and at any angle at which the housing isrotated in the rolling direction from the state, the circuit element canbe protected from the leakage magnetic field no matter how the housingis placed on a power reception mat.

(11) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to any oneof (1) to (10), in which the AC conductive wire is configured bytwisting a plurality of conductive wires.

According to (11), since the AC conductive wire is configured bytwisting the plurality of conductive wires, cross-sectional area of eachconductive wire is reduced and the skin effect can be effectivelyprevented.

(12) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to any oneof (1) to (11), in which the converter is a rectifier (rectifier 44) oran inverter (inverter 70).

According to (12), since the converter can be the rectifier or theinverter having high versatility, manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(13) A power supply unit (power supply unit 10) for an aerosol inhaler(aerosol inhaler 1) including: a power supply (power supply 12) capableof supplying power to a load (load 21) capable of generating aerosolfrom an aerosol source; and a charger (charger 13) capable ofcontrolling charging of the power supply, in which the power supply unitfurther includes: a power reception coil (power reception coil 43)capable of receiving the power in a wireless manner, a converter(rectifier 44) configured to convert AC power into DC power, an ACconductive wire (AC conductive wire 48) connecting the power receptioncoil and the converter, and a housing (power supply unit case 11)configured to accommodate the power supply, the charger, the powerreception coil, the converter and the AC conductive wire, and in whichthe power reception coil and the converter are arranged on one of oneend side and the other end side of the power supply.

According to (13), the AC conductive wire connecting the power receptioncoil and the converter does not need to cross or traverse the powersupply that is the largest among components of the aerosol inhaler.Thereby, the AC conductive wire is shortened and heat generation due toa skin effect caused by an alternating current received in the wirelessmanner flowing through the AC conductive wire can be prevented.

(14) The power supply unit for the aerosol inhaler according to (13), inwhich the charger is arranged on the other of one end side and the otherend side of the power supply.

According to (14), since the charger is arranged on a side opposite tothe power reception coil and the converter with the power supplyinterposed therebetween, influence of the leakage magnetic field on acircuit board on which the charger is mounted can be prevented.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power supply for an aerosol inhaler comprising:a power supply configured to supply power to a load capable ofgenerating aerosol from an aerosol source; charging circuitry configuredto control charging of the power supply; a power reception coilconfigured to receive the power in a wireless manner; a converterconfigured to convert AC power into DC power; an AC conductive wireconnecting the power reception coil and the converter; and a DCconductive wire connecting the converter and the charging circuitry andhaving a length equal to or greater than a length of the AC conductivewire.
 2. The power supply of claim 1, further comprising: a housingaccommodating the power supply, the power reception coil, the chargingcircuitry, and the converter, wherein the charging circuitry is arrangedabove the power supply in a vertical direction when the power supply ischarged.
 3. The power supply of claim 1, further comprising: a housingaccommodating the power reception coil; and a circuit element providedin the housing.
 4. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the DCconductive wire is longer than the AC conductive wire.
 5. The powersupply of claim 1, wherein the AC conductive wire is configured bytwisting a plurality of conductive wires.
 6. The power supply of claim1, wherein the converter is a rectifier.
 7. The power supply of claim 1,further comprising: a housing accommodating the power supply, the powerreception coil, the charging circuitry, and the converter.
 8. The powersupply of claim 7, wherein the power reception coil, the converter andthe charging circuitry are arranged above the power supply in a verticaldirection when the power supply is charged.
 9. The power supply of claim2, wherein the power reception coil and the converter are arranged belowthe power supply in the vertical direction when the power supply ischarged.
 10. The power supply of claim 3, further comprising: a shieldprovided in the housing and configured to protect the circuit elementfrom a magnetic field or shielding or reducing a leakage magnetic fieldof the power reception coil.
 11. The power supply of claim 10, whereinthe power reception coil is configured to receive the power in thewireless manner when the housing is placed vertically.
 12. The powersupply of claim 11, wherein the housing accommodates the power receptioncoil, the shield, the converter and the power supply in order from belowin the vertical direction when the power supply is charged.
 13. Thepower supply of claim 12, wherein the shield is configured to protectthe circuit element from the magnetic field or to shield or reduce theleakage magnetic field of the power reception coil in a state where thehousing is placed horizontally such that power reception efficiency ofthe power reception coil is maximized, and at any angle at which thehousing is rotated in a rolling direction from the state.